Editor, the Advocate:
There are many beautiful parts of life that will always be a memory for some, and then there are those moments that make such an imprint on your heart that it changes your life in a way that is more than just a memory, it’s a blessing and a gift, and a compelling reason to not just keep it to yourself, but share it.
My mother Sandra Manatt passed away on July 22, 2020 at Citizens Medical Center ICU in Victoria. In January of this year, mom started down a path with her health, that would be the fight of her life from that day on. She had chronic kidney disease, acute renal failure, and a host of other medical issues. COVID-19 was in full effect at this point, and the world was turning upside down behind it. Mom’s outcome was not good, and her entire body and organs were deteriorating.
The heroes in your community cared for her, extended her life, saved it several times. Both hospitals, ERs, ICU, Post-Acute, became my mom’s family, angels, encouragers, and my lifeline to my mom five hours away. Sodalis Senior Living, where mom lived for a few months out of the year, cared for her the final part of her life until she went to the hospital and later passed away. Sodalis treated her with kindness, tenderness, respect, patience, compassion, and loved her like family. They made it a priority to spend time with her and keep her joy alive by daily calls with me.
I was able to see my mom before she passed away, and because of the ICU staff at Citizens keeping her encouraged, she gained the strength to come out of weeks of not saying much, to saying everything she needed to for me and my brother.
In one city a life was changed, and my mom left this world with a full heart because of two hospitals, several rehabs, and two senior living facilities; one at the beginning of her time in Victoria, and one at the end. She was not just another patient to all of you. She was treated as if she were your own mother. Several places came together without even knowing it and gave life even in the presence of death. Multiple people changed what could have been a much different story. It came straight out of Victoria, Texas and will not be forgotten.
Paige Mullin, McKinney